


Victimology

by ZaliaChimera



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Betrayal, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Lesbian Character, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gen, Implied Relationships, Interrogation, Manipulation, Sins, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 13:58:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1552925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaliaChimera/pseuds/ZaliaChimera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Janine has a request for Abel’s newest resident which brings her face to face with her own sins. Spoilers to the end of S2M40</p>
            </blockquote>





	Victimology

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?”

“Unfortunately, Doctor Cohen,” Janine says, her expression blank and stern, “it seems that we are rather out of other options.”

She leads them down a flight of stairs to a heavy metal door which she opens with a surprisingly normal looking key, despite the keypad and fingerprint scanner at one side. Janine catches her curious look. 

“I dislike relying exclusively on electricity for security. Especially these days.”

The door opens onto a blank corridor which would have been unsettling if Paula hadn't spent a lot of time in facilities like this one. Admittedly, even those places had rarely included rooms deliberately designed to act as prison cells.

Janine stops in front of a nondescript door, another key at the ready. “I will be watching and listening through the mirror,” she says. “Any information will be useful.”

Paula gives her a curious look. “What makes you think that I'll have any better luck than whoever has spoken to him before?”

Janine is silent for a long moment, her hand on the door and an unreadable expression on her face. “You know Van Ark,” she says, and while there's no accusation in her voice, Paula gets the impression that it's because she's trying very hard to not let it show. “You may pick up on something that was missed. Some detail.”

“I suppose it may be worth a try,” Paula replies doubtfully.

“It has to be,” Janine says. “We are short on leads right now and half of my Township is _god knows_ where while _he_ sits safe in his cell.”

There's venom in her voice which seems contrary to her pragmatism and her character, just from what Paula's seen of her otherwise. But she's been there barely two weeks. 

And they have no other information.

“I'll try my best,” Paula says uncertainly, apprehension churning in her gut.

“Good,” Janine says brusquely, arms unfolding as she moves to unlock the door. She stands aside to let Paula enter and then the door locks behind her.

The cell is mostly bare; a single blanket on a hard bunk against the wall, a table. Two chairs. One occupied.

She hasn't met him before, this man who had betrayed everything for the promise of immortality. He looks younger than she'd expected, and stronger, his whole life ahead of him. Greasy dark curls fall into his face and there's blood and bruises on his skin. His nose is crooked, a badly healed break. She had heard what had happened to him and it sickens her despite everything that he had done.

His hands, strong and long-fingered, are cuffed to the chair at the wrist with heavy metal bands that can't have been designed for any other purpose. For a moment, a long, awful moment, she's back in that room with Archie. She can almost feel Van Ark's fingers against the back of her neck.

She shudders, trying to dispel the images.

“Back already Jenny?” His voice is hoarse and ragged. “You normally-” He stops, mouth open in surprise and his eyes wide before they narrow in suspicion.

“You're not Jenny.”

“Hello Simon,” Paula says, moving to sit down in the chair opposite him which looks just as uncomfortable as the one that he's cuffed to. “No, I'm afraid I'm not. I don't know who you're talking about.”

Simon snorts, tossing his head towards the long mirror against the wall. 

“You think I'm stupid?” he asks savagely. “I know she's in there watching! Can't get enough, can you Jenny?” he calls out, his voice mocking and desperate.

There's no response from Janine. Nothing. Finally he slumps back in his chair, head bowed. “Fuck. What do you want?”

“My name is Paula Cohen,” she says gently.

That does earn her a sharp look, his gaze intent. “You're the Doc's girlfriend,” he says bluntly. “you were with Van Ark.”

It's true enough, albeit not by her choice. There's no point denying it. “Yes, I was. I was a research scientist before the apocalypse.”

He looks thoroughly unimpressed, watching her like she's confused him. His face is bruised, his nose obviously broken and badly healing, but his eyes are dark and intense. “Why are you here?” he asks bluntly, bitterness seeping into his voice. “Shouldn't you be living it up with Doc Myers? You got what you wanted and I...”

Paula can see his throat bob as he swallows and glances back towards the mirror. It gives her a moment to force down the wash of fresh pain when she thinks of Maxine. 

“She's in there, isn't she? Just tell me.”

“It's just me,” Paula says firmly using the tone she'd used with nervous patients in clinical trials, or nervous investors when she needed funding. Maxine. She has to think of Maxine. “I'm the one you need to talk to.”

He drags his gaze back to her and she notes the redness of his eyes. Lack of sleep. Is that intentional? 

No. No, it wouldn't be. These are good people. She's had enough trouble sleeping after everything that's happened. Why wouldn't he? 

“I don't know anything,” he says tiredly. “I already told them everything I know.” 

He sounds exhausted, wretched. Paula swallows around the lump in her throat. For a moment it had sounded so very close to how- how Archie had sounded.

“Tell me again,” she says, trying to sound calm and more composed than she feels. “Perhaps I understand something that they didn't. Let me make it easier.”

“Oh aye?” he says, a vicious smirk on his lips and it twists his face, makes it ugly. “Same way you made it easier for Archie.”

Paula takes a breath, her expression hardening, this little cruelty making it easier to steel herself.

“Goading me will not work. Do you think that I worked with Professor Van Ark without adjusting to whatever he could throw at me.”

And Simon Lauchlan is no Van Ark.

He just smiles though, something cracked about the edges of it. She wonders about his mental state after all that had happened. Then again, Van Ark had been coldly, terrifyingly _sane_ until the end.

“Are you sure you didn't adjust a little too well, Doc?”

He is _not_ Archie. He is _not_ innocent in this.

“Tell me what the Professor told you about the tone devices.” The words come out clipped and cold.

Simon blinks at her, lips parting in a soft 'o' of surprise. “The ones he used to control the zoms?”

“Yes. What do you know?”

“I dunno,” he says, shrugging. “They change the frequency and the pattern to get them to do stuff like throw rocks or shoot or- or use a bloody rocket launcher.”

It's nothing new. Not even anything in depth. Paula leans forward, her gaze intent. “What else?”

“Nothing else,” Simon says and he sounds genuinely confused. “I'm not a scientist. I don't know. You'd need Archie for that. Clever woman she is.” He pauses for a moment, swallows, an expression of grief crossing his face. “Was. 'Til you killed her.”

Paula takes a sharp breath. It's a slap in the face, a vice around her chest, squeezing her ribs enough to make breathing painful. “I didn't-” she begins, “I tried to save her. I didn't _know_ what he would do.”

But she had known what he was capable of. How could she have been so foolish?

Simon gives a soft laugh, a twisted, horrible sound, and Paula squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. “Didn't know he was gonna _hurt_ her,” Simon says, his voice jagged with hurt. “They were just gonna talk, that's all. And then you- and he-”

“I tried to _save_ her.”

Archie had screamed so much.

“Like you saved yourself,” he says, low and vicious. 

He twists his head to look at the mirror again, an expectant look on his face. Paula's glad to be rid of that accusing stare, even for a few moments. She could run, explain that this is beyond her. 

All she can think of is Janine's cold eyes on the back of her neck.

She sits back up, spine straight, head raised, like her mother had told her to as a child. She had survived. She had been the _victim_. And he is a traitor.

“What did he tell you about the control devices?” she tries again, harsh and demanding.

“Nothing!” he says, dragging his gaze back to her, desperation in his voice. “I was just... right place, right time. Help him or get killed. Or worse. He's right good at dragging out what he can use against you.” A laugh escapes him, an edge of hysteria to the sound. “All of it laid bare 'til there's no way but towards what he wants.”

A chill runs down her spine hearing it laid out like that, bare and raw. Help him, or turn grey. Help him and perhaps make up in some small way for the sins that she had already committed in causing this. She feels sick, a rolling nausea deep in the pit of her stomach.

“I was just a means to an end,” Simon says, utterly wretched, his head bowed. “Didn't need to know anything.”

“What about his research? Did he mention anything?”

Simon meets her eyes, exhaustion showing clearly in his eyes. “Just what I needed to know. Cell regeneration. Cheating death.” His expression darkens, eyes narrowing and that spark of cruelty returning. “If Jenny wants to know about that though, shouldn't it be you locked up here?”

His smile, teeth bared, is pure viciousness. He leans forward as far as the cuffs allow him, sinew and muscle in his arms standing out as he strains against them. 

“I _saw_ the cages, y'know,” he says harshly and despite everything, Paula shrinks back. The cold that she always feels these days, at the tips of her extremities seems to spread through her and god, maybe this is it, the Grey winning. “I saw what he did to them, those people. I heard them scream and cry. I saw what _you_ did to them.”

Paula stands, the chair banging against the backs of her knees. “No I- you don't understand. I-”

Her hands are shaking.

“That's enough.” Janine's voice, cold and commanding, is a wash of cool relief and Paula all but stumbles towards the door. 

“Jenny!” Simon says, a shout of desperation. “Jenny, _please_! I just wanted to _live_. Like she did. Like anyone.”

She ignores him. She doesn't even look at him, the frustrated tears in his eyes, lips drawn back in rage. “Doctor Cohen. I think that is more than enough for one day.”

“I- yes. Thank you.”

She slips out eagerly, pressing her back against the cold concrete and metal. Janine follows her without so much as a glance backwards.

“Jenny!”

The door closes and Janine locks it, her face blank.

“That-” Paula begins, wrapping her arms around herself. “Was that a _test_?” she spits finally.

“Perhaps a little,” Janine says coolly, and there's no remorse in her. “We do need the information.”

Paula gapes. “Did I pass?” 

She doesn't bother trying to keep the edge out of her voice. She'd thought that she was over games now that she was away from Van Ark.

Janine is silent for a long moment, her hand resting on the door to the cell. “Why did you stay with Van Ark?”

“I was scared,” she says quietly. “I didn't want to die. But I- I thought that if I could find a cure, a way to rectify my mistakes then perhaps it would be worth it.” She swallows down bile. “Perhaps he is right and I should be in a cell too.” Mass murder on a global scale.

“Perhaps,” Janine says. “Doctor Myers vouched for you however.”

“But you don't trust me,” Paula says bluntly. She can accept that, even if it stings. This is Maxine's home, but can it really be hers when she's one step away from the man locked up in this cell to some of them?

Janine looks at her, a bitter twist to her lips and it's the first emotion that Paula's seen from her today. “I trusted three people, Doctor Cohen. One was killed by another as part of a plan that they both chose to keep from me.”

“And the third?”

Janine's lips tighten. “Number Three...” She shakes her head. “Thank you for your time, Doctor Cohen. I'm sure that you'll be an asset to Abel in these dark days.”

“I'll do my best.” That's all she can do.

“Can you find your way back?”

“I think so. I have a good memory for places like this,” Paula replies wryly.

Janine nods. As Paula walks away, she hears the cell door open once more.


End file.
